The Isle
by sera-chan011
Summary: UNDER RE-CONSTRUCTION * LENKAHO * The group gets stuck in a small island. In the days that they have been, two people get unexpectedly closer.
1. PROLOGUE

PROLOGUE

Beads of sweat rolled off Kahoko Hino's forehead as she ran through the corridors of the Music Department building, occasionally bumping onto other students. She could only inwardly apologize as she went past the offended Music students and hurried off towards the music room located at the farthest end of the building's wing.

Earlier that day—much to Kahoko's surprise—Shouko Fuyuumi, a shy friend of hers and a fellow competitor in the recent musical contest in Seiso Academy, paid her a visit in the General Education Department and informed her of a meeting set by their previous advisor, Hiroto Kanazawa, later in the day. Hino was ecstatic and excited; it had been a long while since she and the rest of the competitors in the _concours_ assembled together. However, much to her chagrin, she was running late.

When the redheaded amateur violinist caught sight of the forking paths toward the different parts of the Music Department building, she did not think twice in taking the left corridor. Hino's steps slowed down as she wiped off her perspiration with the back of her hand and deeply breathed in. Upon coming across the door that led to the venue of their meeting, she took another deep breath and turned the knob.

She bit her lip as she poked her head in and witnessed as her friends simultaneously turned their heads toward her direction. Hino shot them a sheepish smile and greeted, "Hi, guys! It's been a while."

"Great!" said Kanazawa as he clapped both of his hands together and gave everybody from the _concours_ a huge, lazy grin. "Now that we're all complete, we can start this meeting."

Hino hurried off to sit beside the other lone girl in the group, Fuyuumi. She looked around and lightly chuckled upon seeing Kazuki Hihara, the resident trumpeter, wink at her direction. She turned her attention back to the speaking teacher.

"I know that this is too late an announcement, but given that Golden Week is in two days, the school has decided to give you a gift," said Kanazawa.

"A gift?" the whole group asked in union. All of them raised their eyebrows except for the two freshmen who decided to wait for more.

Azuma Yunoki, the flutist in the group, asked, "Does this have something to do with the past _concours_?"

Kanazawa hummed to himself and held his chin with his hand. He replied, "Actually, it _may_ have something to do with your participation in the _concours_, but this is just really an appreciation gift."

No one in the group spoke after that. Kanazawa decided to continue.

"Since it is summer, the school administration thought to give you a one-week vacation to Okinawa—and you'll be going there through a simple cruise, not through plane." He gave each of the teenagers a lazy smile. "It's just going to be pure fun, fun, fun!"

Apparently, Hihara still could not get the gist. "And that means?"

The group's teacher shrugged. "That means a one-week vacation that is free of charge. I assembled all of you this afternoon because I would need to know if all of you are all right to join the thing."

"I-I think I would go," stammered Fuyuumi silently. She continued, with the same light-hearted voice, "A-After all, I have heard beforehand that my family cordially sponsored the g-gift."

"I want to, so I guess I would," Hino piped in with a laugh. Every pair of eyes turned to look at her. "It will be fun, right? I wouldn't want to miss any of the fun it can give."

Kanazawa's laughter rumbled through his chest. "That's the spirit, Hino. Good, good. Now we have two people ready to join but"—he turned to the rest—"how about you?"

Hihara and Yunoki exchanged looks and shrugged. "We'd go," they said together.

Everyone looked at the sleepy Keiichi Shimizu and listened as his silent voice rang, "I . . . want to go as . . . well. . . ."

At the statement, Hino suddenly felt even more excited. There were only two more people left to decide. One of them was the pianist, Ryoutaro Tsuchiura. It was as if time stopped when he suddenly cleared his throat.

As though enjoying the suspense his answer could give, Tsuchiura smirked and waited for a few more moments before saying, "I would not want to miss the chance—as you place it—would I?"

"That's great," commented Kanazawa, smiling. His eyes zeroed in on the blue-haired Tsukimori, and even Hino found the urge to look at him expectantly. "What are you planning, Tsukimori?"

Hino felt her heart sink when Tsukimori glared and said, "No."

Hihara created sounds of incredulity while the others raised their eyebrows. Tsuchiura, on the other hand, crossed his arms and scoffed. Hino felt as though the given answer of the blue-haired violinist was already expected.

"Why? Look on the positive side. You'll enjoy!" insisted Kanazawa. He cocked his eyebrows in disbelief.

"No," said Tsukimori, sticking up to his decision. He tilted his head to the side and folded his arms across his chest. Cockily, he stated, "It's just an utter waste of time."

Hino grinned and gave Tsukimori her best smile. "Tsukimori-kun, please come along! Everyone else will. Surely, this won't be a waste since all of us"—as if to prove her point, she looked around her friends—"will be together for a week of free vacation!"

The redhead watched as Tsukimori gazed at her inviting smile then to everybody else's expectant looks—save Tsuchiura from the "everybody". Tsukimori sighed, and then slowly nodded.

"All right!" exclaimed Kanazawa. He pulled out a stick of cigarette off its case and held it in between of his right forefinger and middle finger. "You will leave the day after tomorrow, at nine in the morning, and meet up at the port. I will now go, now that I have clarified everything that needed explanation. Should you have any other concerns, consult with me maybe tomorrow."

Kanazawa prepared himself to leave along with the teenagers. As though he had remembered something, he said as an afterthought, "Good luck."

The young group heard the door open then click closed, the sensei leaving the group deep in thought about the one-week vacation in Okinawa and the cruise itself. Although Hino knew that maybe there were a few from the group—namely Yunoki, Fuyuumi, and Tsukimori—who had already been to Okinawa before, she still believed that it would not decrease the level of the fun that the gift promised them.

The redhead could already imagine the crashing sound of the waves hitting the large boundaries of the isle, the cool breeze of the sea during summer, the beauty of red hibiscuses, and the pale-colored sand of the shore. In Hino's head, she could already feel the cool sensation brought about by the clean salt water of the ocean . . . the feeling of great harmony and peace.

She and the group had decided to talk about their plans and their parental permits, and chose to leave afterwards, bidding each other good-bye. Yunoki and Hihara had left first, claiming that they still had to fix some things concerning their graduating. Tsuchiura, who swore he had soccer practices to attend to, soon followed them. Fuyuumi and Shimizu left next, leaving only Tsukimori and Hino alone in the confinement of the music room.

"Aren't you leaving yet?" asked Tsukimori with a frown, realizing that Hino was the only one left with him in the room that was glowing orange by then.

"Er. . . . How about you, Tsukimori-kun? Not yet leaving?" Hino asked. She blushed a shade of deep red, likewise realizing the situation.

It had been a while since she had last been alone with Tsukimori in the confinement of the same room. It was not really a big deal for her—he was her violinist of a teacher, really, and she swore that nothing more could go on between them—but she could not fight off the awkward feeling bubbling inside of her whenever she thought about herself and Tsukimori together.

"Practice."

Hino did not quite get what Tsukimori was trying to imply. "Eh?"

"I need to practice so better leave now," Tsukimori said, still keeping his cool. His eyes narrowed down on her. "You're just going to be a disturbance."

Hino frowned at the young man's statement and stomped out of the practice room without further ado. She closed the door hastily and stood along the hallway adjacent the room.

"'Need to practice!' 'Better leave now!' 'You're a disturbance!'" Hino blurted out, her face burning red in frustration. "Did he really have to say those words in a harsh way? _That_ Tsukimori Len!"

She stopped dead, her red face quickly paling, when the door opened, revealing a Tsukimori Len with a deeper scowl etched on his face.

"Shut up, Hino," he said and closed the door.

Hino blushed furiously out of embarrassment.


	2. CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 1

Kahoko Hino stared at Tsukimori Len's figure warily. As she continued to gaze, she could not help the burst of emotions bubbling about deep in her. She was anxious, and she, sadly, could not do anything about it.

At that moment, Hino felt herself soaked wet by the heavy rain in the middle of who-knew-where. All she could will her self to do was watch as Tsukimori guided her toward a safe place wherein she was sure even he did not know where. The thought later led her to the question: was there such a _safe_ place?

Hino blinked. Why was she right there—watching Tsukimori's back, soaked wet by the rain, and unable to enjoy summer—in the first place? Right then and there, Hino remembered.

It was all because of that unexpected happening that had dared ruin _everything_.

* * *

The group of seven, along with the yacht's captain named Kabuki, had already been cruising for two hours, and the sight in front of Hino's eyes had simply been awe-inspiring. The waters had been clear and blue, giving her a wonderful view of a school of marine creatures swimming liberally. In the distance, she had seen the horizon where the sea and the skies seemingly met.

Everything had had just been too splendid that Hino had spun around to call the attention of Fuyuumi to share in the sight when a drop of liquid had hit her skin with an inaudible splat.

_Water?_ Hino had thought. She had looked up and thought the sky to be rather dark. _Oh . . . rain._

Hino had hurriedly run by the painted white walls of the side of the living quarters to shed herself and had disappointedly watched as the rain strengthened. As the downpour never ceased, she had gradually felt the moist wind hitting her delicate skin. Lightly shivering in response to the cold breeze, she later had decided to go inside where the rest of her friends had had been.

She thought nothing had gone wrong, that no predicament had been there to abate the excitement that had been fuelling up, but when she had seen the dreaded and tensed faces of her companions, she had doubted that everything would be fine—their auras had been the contraries of hers.

"What's up with those worried faces?" she had asked. Approaching them, Hino remembered herslef fighting the urge to look nervous and instead keep up with a widely smiling face.

Hino's friends had remained unmoving. No one had even dared to look at her.

The redhead had observed her friends and had seen that Tsukimori's frown had had been deep—deeper than usual. His eyes had been unfathomable with concentration; even more so than whenever she saw him practice his violin. Tsuchiura, on the other hand, had been clutching the edge of the table as if his life was depended on it, as though he could sooner break it into shards.

"There's quite a problem we've got to face, Hino-san," Yunoki's rather cold voice had greeted her (even though it was quite a typical tone for her). The mere voice had sent shivers treading down her spine, and Hino had known right then that she could never really get over such tonality.

"It is raining hard outside so do not put on such faces," she had stated while eyeing her friends uncomfortably. "I think that would just worsen the mood of the weather . . . ?"

"That's the problem, Hino," Tsukimori had curtly said. He shifted his hard gaze on her, subconsciously pinning it to her slowly panicking silhouette.

Hino had gasped. She had looked at her friends' worried faces and had muttered, "Don't tell me. . . ."

Tsuchiura had sighed. "Yes, Hino. The once peaceful weather suddenly turned rampaging."

"But that's impossible," Hino had continued to argue. "It's summer, and just earlier . . . the weather had been fine!"

"We're in big trouble, Kaho-chan," Hihara had said with a very troubled voice. "And yet, Kabuki-san discovered the yacht to have some little problems."

Hino could only manage to stare at them with fear. Hihara had been acting very strange, as though everything she heard had had been a fact that would soon lead them to the extremity of life.

"Don't joke with me," she had said, a wry smile tugging her lips.

"We're in no time to joke, Hino," the other violinist in the room had reprimanded. His hard gaze on Hino had turned into a glare at some point.

"I-I am s-scared," Hino had heard Fuyuumi mumble.

Hino had just known that Fuyuumi's eyes had been beginning to moist, but chose not to cry for the moment had not been the time to showcase weakness. It had been the time to make some moves.

The redhead had bitten her lower lip. She had belatedly realized that even Shimizu had had been up and he had been fully awake.

"Prepare!" Kabuki had called out while heading toward them from the control room. He had looked like he was around his forties, signs of gradual aging present on his features. Greyish strands mixed with his black hair and some wrinkles surrounded his droopy eyes. "We can do nothing about it. A heavy storm would really come as was informed in the radio news just this while.

"We will evacuate this yacht since quite a big part of it is unbelievably missed during check-up—it was somehow damaged—and its effect would be rather big. It had gone unnoticed for a long while, so I suggest we transfer to a lifeboat."

The teenagers had stiffened.

"Better get your important belongings and pack instantly."

After the alarming news had been said, the group had immediately (even though quite hesitantly) scurried off toward their respective rooms to get their important possessions.

"Fuyuumi-chan, hurry," Hino had hissed while watching her roommate desperately search for her clarinet.

"I-I c-can't find it," Fuyuumi had stuttered. She had fussed around and let out a worried sound.

The redhead had momentarily felt her heart drop.

Hino, though hesitating, had held Fuyuumi's shoulders and had stared at her courageously. Heaving a sigh, she had told the younger girl, "I would search for it. So just go to the others now and . . . well . . . tell them I'd follow. Bring my violin with you and I promise I'd find your clarinet."

"But senpai!" Fuyuumi had protested.

The mentioned senpai had given the teal-headed girl a smile. She had known why Fuyuumi had had been protesting, but Hino could hardly care.

"Nothing's going to go wrong. Now go!" With that very command, authority filling the voice, and assurance, Fuyuumi had decided to comply.

"Kaho-senpai, h-hurry and be care-careful, OK?"

* * *

Hino remembered clearly how she had managed to retrieve her kouhai's clarinet just in time when the waters had started to enter the place. She remembered the strong tilting of the yacht and herself toppling over. Hino remembered losing consciousness and drowning.

She did not remember the part where Tsukimori had apparently come to her rescue and saved her from drowning.

It was just that the next thing Hino knew, she had been stuck with Tsukimori, in what seemed to be a desolated isle. She had been clutching Fuyuumi's clarinet—which she had been able to find—protectively enough that one would have the idea it was an important treasure.

She simply woke up feeling heavy and soaked wet with raindrops hitting her exhausted body, which had been lying helplessly by the seashore of who-knew-where.

Moreover, the first sight that she had had been the sleeping Tsukimori Len by her side.

It was clear that Tsukimori was the one who saved her. Not that she was so happy . . . but it was just so . . . very not the Tsukimori-esque thingy to do. It was just very unlike the Tsukimori she knew. With those thoughts, she remembered her best friends nagging and asking her about the _Violin Romance_.

"Ow!" she yelled when she felt something pointed against the bottom of her right foot. Not even looking down, she already knew that she had been punctured.

"What's the matter?" Tsukimori's irritated voice asked. He paused from walking and turned to the pain-stricken Hino. "I've already caught sight of a safe shed," he continued as he bent down and checked Hino's foot.

In a doctor-like way, even if rain was pouring with no stop, he asked Hino to sit down for him to get rid of the little thing that punctured Hino's right foot.

He silently did so; he stood up straight as he was finished and stared at Hino with cold impassive eyes. "Don't tell me"—he started—"that you can't walk."

Tsukimori could only groan when Hino nodded with a sheepish look on her face. Without even hesitating, he bent down and asked Hino to ride on his back.

"A-Are you sure Tsukimori-kun?" Hino asked. She blushed when she stared down at the couching lad. To have a piggyback ride on Tsukimori was a little bit too much, wasn't it?

"I would not bother bending down like stupid if I am not certain, would I?" Tsukimori glared ahead, not heeding Hino's reddening face.

"But—!"

"Are you planning to be a huge problem to me?" Tsukimori intervened. When Hino did not reply, he continued, "If you aren't, hop on."

Hino admitted to herself that she was hurt with Tsukimori's reference toward her—because she was _so_ not a problem to anyone!—but ended up riding on Tsukimori's back either way.

She watched in silence as Tsukimori struggled to get up the high slope where he said he caught a little peek of a shed. Hino knew perfectly well that the action was difficult for him since the ground was muddy and wet. The fact did not bode well with her.

Tsukimori was trying hard for her, and she did not know, or understand why.

Don't dream as if it's anything special, she thought. Of course, he did all those because she would merely be a problem for him if she could not walk. . . .

They remained silent during the duration of the long walk. It was typical for Tsukimori to remain taciturn and the same thing went for Hino whenever she was _shy_. Who would not be shy when someone saved you from your stupidity then there went another salvation when you were punctured?

To tame down her rising embarrassment, Hino chose to inspect the surrounding where Tsukimori brought her upon arrival. It was a hollowed-out dark space in a tall and vast chunk of rock. Everywhere she would look was eerily black, like you have gone blind for once although there was a little amount of light.

A dim light seeped through from the opening by the location Tsukimori had decided to sit by. It was like the gods really wanted Hino to see all the important details, the reason why there was at least some light.

She felt her heart reach up into her throat. Tsukimori Len was badly injured.


	3. CHAPTER 2

*** DOWN FOR EDITING ***

**-Will be up by APRIL 20, 2013, Saturday.**


	4. CHAPTER 3

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**-Will be up by APRIL 20, 2013, Saturday.**


	5. CHAPTER 4

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**-Will be up by APRIL 20, 2013, Saturday.**


	6. CHAPTER 5

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**-Will be up by APRIL 20, 2013, Saturday.**


	7. CHAPTER 6

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**-Will be up by APRIL 20, 2013, Saturday.**


	8. CHAPTER 7

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**-Will be up by APRIL 20, 2013, Saturday.**


	9. CHAPTER 8

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**-Will be up by APRIL 20, 2013, Saturday.**


	10. CHAPTER 9

*** DOWN FOR EDITING ***

**-Will be up by APRIL 20, 2013, Saturday.**


	11. EPILOGUE

*** DOWN FOR EDITING ***

**-Will be up by APRIL 20, 2013, Saturday.**


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